It Goes On
by LemonStar
Summary: ..Daryl/Beth.. AU S4 prison. Follow-up to "The Most". He could see how this would be a happy occasion. It was a happy occasion and he wasn't a dick enough to deprive them of celebrating it.


**After last night's terrible MSF, I am exhausted and drained. Nothing is happening on the show and they are just dragging us along for a very slow ride with no reward in sight. It also doesn't help that I dislike most of the characters. I have also started to find it difficult to write Beth and Daryl. I feel myself approaching a wall and I love these two so much but I can't help but ask myself, what's the point anymore?**

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…

He didn't want it and he knew Beth didn't either but it didn't seem to really matter because everyone else did. Carol told him that they needed to celebrate these good moments in their lives that seemed so far and few in between and couldn't just let them go by without even acknowledging them.

He walked the entire perimeter of the prison three times a day – before breakfast, before lunch and after dinner – wanting to make sure there were no weak spots on the fence and taking mental notes if something had to be done or seen to.

Carol had found him that morning to talk to him about what she and the others wanted to do and he had frowned and grunted and told her that they all had better things to do with their time. Carol hadn't seemed to hear though. She just smiled and told him that she would talk with Beth about it, too. And now, Daryl had been spending his whole morning thinking about what Carol had told him.

As he neared the side of the fence where the kids had their escape hole in case something ever happened to this prison, securely hidden with bushes and bricks, from the corner of his eye, he could see her walking towards him – slowly since she was walking Judith with her. Lil' Asskicker was just learning how to walk and her legs were wobbly and it looked like she was ready to fall down with every step she took but somehow, the toddler had a balance Daryl didn't quite understand.

Beth lifted her eyes and saw him looking at her and she instantly smiled. She had Judith's hand tucked in hers and they slowly continued towards him as Daryl continued walking towards them, still eyeing the fences as he went. He then stopped and stood, watching as the pair walked closer to him, Judith babbling in her baby speak that no one besides Beth seemed to understand and the softest smile stretched across Beth's lips. Beth was the damned prettiest thing alive in this world and she was all his. His wife.

They had done it quietly – no one knowing what he had planned before he did it. He had gone out and found a ring, taking it off some walker, and then had asked her that night after taking a shower together and stopped at a window to watch the first snow of winter fall. The next morning, Beth told her pops and Daryl felt a moment of guilt for not having talked to the man first before he had married her. He knew Glenn had talked to him before he married Maggie, asking for the man's permission, but Daryl reminded himself that he wasn't Glenn and Hershel knew he wasn't and didn't expect him to be. When Beth told him, Hershel just smiled in that way he did with the twinkling in his eyes as if something was greatly amusing to him.

By lunchtime, every single person in the prison knew that they were now married.

And the next day, Carol had come to him to talk to him about what she wanted to do.

"Hey, lunch is ready," Beth said as she and Judith finally reached him. "How does it look?" She then asked, glancing to the fence beside him before back to him.

"Good," he grunted, swinging his crossbow onto his back. "Carol talk to you?"

"Yeah." Beth bent down and hefted Judith in her arms, releasing a soft "Oof" as she did, Judith seeming to get heavier every day. "What do you think?" She asked, looking to Daryl though she already knew what he thought and she was leaning towards agreeing with him.

She understood Carol's reasoning for wanting to throw them a celebration. Things were so hard to celebrate nowadays. There were no calendars anymore. No time. Holidays no longer mattered like they once had. They celebrated a successful run but other than that, there seemed to be so little to actually celebrate. They were still alive and the prison was still safe but every day was a struggle to remain so.

A marriage was definitely cause for happiness. Two people finding one another, finding love in this new world and vowing to be together no matter how short or how long their life together would be. And whether he believed it or not, Daryl was in charge of all of them and their home and many wanted to celebrate because it was Daryl and he was the most important person in this prison.

Maggie had joked with her, telling her that she married the president so she was their first lady now and Beth had just laughed and rolled her eyes at that but she wondered how many people here actually thought along those same lines.

Daryl shrugged. "Seems like a waste of our supplies," he said and as he answered, he watched her face closely to see if she would be disappointed from his answer.

He knew Beth. She was the kind of girl who had probably dreamt of her wedding since she was a little girl playing with her dolls. She had probably wanted the white dress and flowers and some ridiculous wedding cake with a thousand people there. Instead, she had gotten him slipping a ring on her finger outside the bathrooms. He hadn't even asked her to marry him. He had just held the ring and let her assume.

But he should have known Beth wasn't like that anymore.

She nodded now. "I think so, too. I mean, I understand why Carol would want to throw something like that for us but it's definitely not necessary."

He wondered how Carol would react to their refusal to her offer. Knowing Carol, it didn't really matter what they wanted and she would do whatever she wanted. Daryl wondered if it would be weird if he and Beth didn't go to their own wedding celebration.

Judith began fidgeting in Beth's arms to be put down and Beth bent down, gently placing at her back to her feet. She immediately took the toddler's hand and they all began to slowly walk back towards the courtyard where the majority of the people were already gathered for lunch.

"How was class this mornin'?" He asked her as they walked.

Beth smiled, happy that he had asked even though he asked her everyday. "Good. We began our problem solving project today."

Daryl knew she had been planning that for days now. It was important to all of them that these kids learn how to work together and figure out how to solve problems because after all of them were gone, the kids would be the ones in charge and they had to learn how to keep this place running.

"How's it goin'?"

She laughed a little. "We have a lot of work to do. You still going to come and help?"

"Told you I would," he reminded her of their discussion a couple of days ago when she had first suggested it to him. "I'll come this afternoon after lunch. Get those kids of yours in line," he then said and Beth elbowed him making him smirk a little.

And though it wasn't really who they were – never had been – maybe he could chalk it up to being a newlywed. As they began walking up the hill, he reached out and put an arm around her shoulders. Beth looked surprised for a moment at the open display of affection but then she happily pressed herself against him.

That day, it was chilly but lunch was still outside. Cans of chili and stale multi-grain crackers. He and Glenn had found boxes of them at the Big Spot and had brought them all back with them during their last run. They got their bowls and went to go sit with Glenn, Maggie and Hershel at one of the tables. Beth swung Judith up and sat her in her lap and gave her a cracker to chew on.

Hershel smiled as they all began eating their lunches together. "My family," he smiled as Maggie, Beth and Glenn all smiled in response and Daryl kept his head down towards his bowl of chili, the tips of his ears turning red.

Carol came up to the table then and handed Glenn a piece of paper, who looked it over before slipping it into his coat pocket.

Daryl frowned because he didn't know exactly what it was but he knew it probably had to do something about what she was planning. "We don't have any runs planned," he said to both Glenn and Carol.

"I've already talked to Michonne and Sasha about it," Glenn told him and Daryl frowned at that. "You can come with us tomorrow if you want." He then smiled at him from across the table. "You can choose the color of the balloons you want."

That just made Daryl frown deeper and Maggie stifled a laugh as Glenn just kept on grinning at him.

"Stop being such a stick in the mud, Daryl," Carol said. "You are not going to deprive everyone the chance of celebrating your marriage."

"That mean I gotta come?" He asked and Beth laughed softly from beside him.

"Carol," she then spoke. "Daryl and I just don't want everyone going through so much trouble for us or wasting supplies."

"Who's wasting? We have boxes of cake and cans of frosting we're not using for anything else. We have eggs from the chickens and milk from the goat so you two get to have a proper wedding cake. And everything else, Glenn, Michonne and Sasha are going out tomorrow to find what they can," Carol said to them both.

Daryl looked to Beth and she looked to him, neither of them saying anything for a moment. He then sighed heavily. He really didn't want this. He thought it was stupid if he was being honest and he was always honest. He and Beth had been together for a while now and were now married but they had always been quiet in every aspect of anything they had ever done. He didn't see the big deal of it but he could understand why others would. He could see how this would be a happy occasion. It _was_ a happy occasion and he wasn't a dick enough to deprive them of celebrating it.

He sighed heavily and with that, everyone knew he had come to a decision. And Beth must have come to a decision, too – before him from the looks of it – and she leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek, her lips curved into a slight smile against his skin. Daryl looked at her and she smiled and he then looked to Carol and Glenn.

"I'll go with you tomorrow. Get some packs of balloons or somethin'," he said and Beth's smile widened. They were all smiling.

…

They made sure they were quiet. They were always quiet. Even when they were in the shower or behind the far maintenance shed, they were always quiet. And even up here, in the guard tower, they are quiet as Daryl has night duty twice a week. Those assigned to guard duty are always stationed in the same towers and Beth had brought a blanket up here once and it had stayed up here for their use. And on the nights when Judith wasn't sleeping in their cell for the night, Beth came up into the tower to stay with him for the night.

He always faced forward with his back against the wall so he could keep looking out the pane of windows – this particular tower having one wall of windows that went floor to ceiling that looked out to the road that led to the front prison gates and it was the only tower that had that feature which had been Daryl's reason to choose this tower when he was on duty at night.

Of course, the windows weren't the first thought on his mind on the nights Beth came up to keep him company. His thoughts were only about Beth at that time. Beth, straddling his lap and riding him. Beth, moving her body and rocking her hips in a slow rhythm but just fast enough to not drive him completely insane. Beth, with the ring on her finger and her fingers in his hair, tugging it and whimpering his name.

And as he dragged his thumb along her clit, she cried out then and came around him, Daryl grinding his teeth together as she gushed and fluttered and nothing felt better in this world than being buried inside of Beth when she had an orgasm. And when he got closer, he squeezed her hips and pulled her off of him just for him to find his release across her stomach. They didn't always have condoms handy and he knew pulling out wasn't a fool-proof plan but it was better than risking it because that was one thing he would never risk. He couldn't get Beth pregnant. Ever. He'd sooner kill himself than have a baby with her; have Beth go through childbirth. Let someone else in the prison have kids and risk their lives. He wasn't going to risk Beth's.

The tower was quiet except for their heavy panting as they tried to get their hearts regulated once more. Beth leaned in and rested her forehead to his and he breathed in her sweet scent of sunshine and sweat. Daryl allowed himself a moment to close his eyes but he opened them and settled them on the window past her shoulder for a moment. As always, there were a few walkers at the fences but nothing building to be a serious problem at the moment. The fences hadn't been too much of a problem since they had cut up walkers and tied their body parts all over the chain link.

"I love you," Beth breathed softly and she had dipped her head down, running her lips in a soft, open-mouthed kiss down the side of his throat.

Daryl wrapped his arms around her waist and squeezed her tightly to him. He felt his stickiness on her skin and reluctantly, he pushed her back from him again. He picked up the corner of the blanket they were sitting on and began wiping her stomach clean. Beth watched him with a small smile and she then leaned back into him and brushed her lips across his forehead, brushing back his sweaty hair.

He pushed himself to her lips. "Love you, too," he mumbled quietly and he had told her for the first time a couple of nights ago when he had showed her the ring and they both knew he wasn't completely comfortable with saying those words. He had gone an entire life without ever saying them to anyone and he still didn't know if he knew how to say them. But both times he had said those words to Beth, she had smiled so he figured he was doing it pretty right so far.

Slowly and almost reluctantly, Beth slid from his lap and sat down beside him. Daryl tugged up his boxers and jeans and then picking up his flannel shirt, he wrapped it around her shoulders and she smiled, nestling in close to him. It was too cold outside to sit there without a stitch of clothes on but she didn't seem to be feeling it. She sighed softly, contently, and rested her head against his shoulder.

"You wan' any special color balloon?" He asked and she laughed softly.

She could imagine giving Daryl any color of balloon and he would be able to find them. Somehow, she doubted packets of balloons were high on people's list of supplies when trying to survive.

"Whatever you grab first. It doesn't matter," she said with a shake of her head and she turned it upwards, looking at him.

Daryl looked at her in return and she knew him well enough to know that he was thinking about something. He cleared his throat then. "You think 'bout it 'fore? What your weddin' would be like?"

"We're already married," she pointed out to him with a soft smile but he just kept staring at her, awaiting an answer. "Purple," she then gave him his answer and she knew that she wouldn't be surprised when Daryl returned from the run the next day with as many packets of purple balloons he could find.

…

The kids were eager to help and ran around, following the instructions of Maggie and Carol has they spent the next day transforming the courtyard into something found in a bridal magazine of the past. Some helped Carol in the kitchen, baking the cakes and helping with the food. They had chickens at the prison with them and it had decided that one could be spared so Rick killed it that morning and with the vegetables they had harvested and canned, they were having chicken noodle soup.

The rest of the kids were outside with Maggie, helping move tables and sweeping the blacktop and Beth had tried to help but Maggie and Carol both had refused to let her so she spent the day, watching Judith and cleaning up hers and Daryl's cell.

The run team had left early that morning, heading back towards the Big Spot, that they were slowly out, taking a run every couple of days to grab more supplies. Walkers still lingered around no matter how many times they cleaned it out and it seemed as if that if anyone else passed it, they saw the walkers and thought a store like that would have been cleared out long ago and didn't go in for themselves. Beth knew Daryl didn't like when she said such things or even thought them but she thought that they seemed to be so lucky with so many different things lately.

They were all alive, the fences were holding, they had enough food, blankets and warm clothes to get them through winter, they were married…

When she heard the nearing of car engines and the gates being opened, Beth smiled as she hoisted Judith up in her arms to go outside and meet the returning team.

Others were already gathered around the cars to help unload and Beth placed Judith down on her feet, watching as the toddler began making her way over, too, Beth walking behind her, close enough to catch her in case she fell. She looked and smiled the instant she saw Daryl climbing from the driver's side of the front car and he spotted her immediately, his own lips twitching. When he returned from the runs, no matter how short or long he had been gone, Beth always went straight for him and hugged him as if he had been gone for years. And today was no different.

She went straight for him and put her arms around his neck and Daryl's own arms circled around her, nearly crushing her in his strong hold but she could have cared less. She closed her eyes and pressed her face to the side of his neck and breathed him in. No matter how many times he went out there, it never got any easier for her to stay and just wait for him to come back to her.

"Cake's ready!" Carol exclaimed as she came outside, carrying on cake pan and Hershel was behind her, carrying the other. And the kids went screaming and running to her and even Glenn seemed to be hurrying in her direction.

Beth and Daryl didn't end their hug though, even as they heard Carol tell them all that they had a chocolate cake with strawberry frosting and a strawberry cake with chocolate frosting and they had to wait for Daryl and Beth to have the first piece since it was their wedding cake.

"Gotcha somethin'," Daryl murmured into her hair and even though she already knew what it was, she smiled and followed him to the trunk of the first car.

And inside, there were packs of purple and white balloons, purple and white streamers and even a plastic bride and groom cake topper that Michonne had made sure to grab. Michonne suddenly appeared at the trunk and pulled out said topper.

She grinned at them both. "Gotta get this to Carol," she said and off she went.

Beth slipped her arms around Daryl's waist and pushed herself on her toes. She kissed him softly on the lips. Everyone around her was talking animatedly and laughing. Everyone sounded so happy and she was glad she and Daryl had agreed to let them throw them a wedding reception. Carol was right. They couldn't let good moments like this pass them by without acknowledging them.

"Thank you," she said to him softly and kissed him again.

Daryl leaned in and rested his forehead to hers for a moment, closing his eyes and breathing her in before looking at her again. "'m not blowin' up all these balloons," was all he said and Beth's happy, light laughter joined all the others in the courtyard.

…

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 **Thank you very much for reading and please review!**


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